The difference between lyricist and songwriter

M

Micro79

Member
The difference between singer-lyricist and songwriter

What's your take? It seems to me that a songwriter is the composer of a song. And a lyricist is the wordsmith of a song. I understand a composer is a creator of just music alone. But that term is used for another idiom. I'm guessing the term songwriter is used because the composer is using song structure to create. I get that difference. One writes songs, and the other writes scores, sonatas, long works basically. It seems that most people think songwriter means just lyrics. Why the confusion, misinformed probably. What's your take?
 
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The term singer/lyricist sounds about right. Plan and simple. The songwriter sounds like the person who delivers a complete song. Composer sounds like a person that creates just the music. But they still call him the songwriter when making popular music.
 
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A "mistake" that everyone makes (sometimes purposefully); it's just part of the vernacular, and it's an easier way to communicate rather than constantly re-defining terms for everyone all the time. But in Western music theory/understanding, a "song" is something that needs to be "sung," i.e., it uses the human voice melodically (with or without lyrics; generally with). So if your musical piece has lyrics (and it's short enough, as opposed to longer works), it is considered a song. Your "beat," even if it's a completed musical track sans lyrics, is a beat, a track, a composition, an instrumental piece, etc., etc., but it isn't a song.

But everybody still says "listen to my new song."

GJ
 
Ok thanks bro. Im gonna let the term happy findings in myself have a rest. Lol. Too many buddies, with too many opinions. I create music, direct it on how i want it to sound and move. Then i make it sound like a polished record. I dont write lyrics. So I consider myself a music producer, songwriter, and audio engineer.
 
a "songwriter" may or may not write lyrics.

a "lyricist" writes lyrics.

"songwriters" write "songs" (i.e., verse chorus style)

"composers" write music which may or may not include writing "songs".

all "songwriters" are "composers".

some "composers" are "songwriters".

it would not be incorrect to call a non "verse/chorus" composition a "song" (but you wouldn't call the writer of that "song" a "songwriter").
 
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